Uzbek activist Miraziz Bazarov was hospitalized after he was attacked by unknown men hours after his public event was disrupted by dozens of aggressive men in Tashkent, RFERL.org reported. Physicians at the Tashkent Traumatology Hospital said that the 29-year-old blogger—known for his criticism of the government and support for decriminalizing same-sex relations—sustained multiple injuries to his internal organs and legs, including an open fracture of the left leg and a concussion. The director of the Europe and Central Asia division at Human Rights Watch (HRW), Hugh Williamson, condemned the attack, calling it "totally awful."
Black and gay people are more likely than others to become victims of a hate crime in Canada, The Georgia Straight reported. The most recent numbers indicate that incidents against Black people and sexual minorities accounted for nearly a third of hate crimes in 2019. Hatred of a race or ethnicity accounted for almost half of all police-reported hate crimes.
Police in Ghana broke up a wedding party for two women, arresting 22 people, according to an out.com item that cited GhanaWeb. Authorities in Kwahu-Obomen were tipped off to the event by local leaders and raided the venue where the ceremony was taking place. Police were later forced to grant bail and release the women arrested, as there were no available female cells at the local police station. Ghana has grown increasingly hostile to the LGBTQ+ community recently. In March, the office of an LGBTQ+ advocacy group was raided by police; the group, LGBT+ Rights Ghana, posted video of the raid to their social media, and were later forced to close down its facilities.
Out U.S. country-music singer Chely Wright has joined the global company Unispace as its first chief diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I) officer, a press release noted. According to the statement, Wright "will be leading our global DE&I program, helping us identify and utilize minority-owned businesses across our entire supply chain. She will drive our outreach to support local non-profits, community organizations and advocacy groups across each market." The release also said that Wright has worked with businesses including Procter & Gamble, Southeastern Grocers and Morgan Stanley to advance their DE&I programs.
In The Netherlands, statistics agency CBS said that 20 years after same-sex marriage became legal in the country, 19,000 men and 21,000 women have tied the knot with someone of the same gender, according to DutchNews.nl. The figures show about 400 couples divorce every year, with women almost twice as likely as men to separate. Just more than a quarter of gay women will divorce within 10 years, compared with 14% of gay men and 16% of heterosexual couples. The Netherlands was the world's first country to legalize same-sex marriages, followed by Belgium, Spain, Canada and South Africa.
The Yukon government announced significant changes to its trans-related health-care policies, XtraMagazine.com reported. Starting April 1, the territory expanded coverage to include a wide range of medically necessary procedures—such as facial feminization surgery and voice training—and better align with international best practices and standards of care, as set out by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Prior to this expansion, the Yukon government only covered a limited set of procedures: vaginoplasty, phalloplasty, mastectomy, hysterectomy and chest contouring.
One of two brothers accused of kidnapping and torturing an elderly man they met on Grindr plead guilty in an Australian court, out.com noted, citing ABC.net .au. Charlie Caire, 20, pled guilty to false imprisonment, aggravated blackmail, aggravated assault and other charges for his role in the brutal, drug-fueled torture of a man using an electric drill, taser, pruning shears, knives and other items; his brother, Brett Caire, 36, was also charged in the attack and remains at trial. The two brothers created a fake profile on Grindr to locate the man they believed had molested the younger brother of a best friend as a child.
The underground dance movement known as voguing has taken over Beijing and given China's LGBT community a "playground" to celebrate their identities, france24.com reported. With categories including "Butch Queen Realness," "Drag Queen Lip Sync" and "Voguing Open To All," performers battled it out at a recent ball to win the judges' approval—scoring straight 10s—or were eliminated. The dance form developed in the 1980s (at events spotlighting racial minorities), but traces its roots to early-20th century New York, where an underground ballroom culture blended elements of beauty pageants, modeling and dance contests. Madonna's 1990 hit "Vogue" spotlighted the culture, and voguing is now hugely popular in the West, helped by TV shows like RuPaul's Drag Race and Pose.
British singer/DJ Boy George has joined an ever-growing list of artists and musicians (such as Snoop Dogg and Lionel Richie) selling their music via the cryptocurrency NFTs, according to Routenote. George has hailed himself as a "crypto maniac" as he lists new music and art as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The artist has signed a deal with cryptocurrency trading site crypto.com to produce content for its new NFT platform.
WTM Africa 2021 will see the introduction of an LGBTQ+ travel event called EQUAL (EQUAL Love, Rights, Experiences & Opportunities) Africa, in partnership with IGLTA (the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association), according to an IGLTA item. EQUAL Africa will comprise three virtual panel discussions and presentations on April 7-9. Held as part of Africa Travel Week, headlined by WTM Africa and ILTM Africa, EQUAL Africa's three content sessions will bring together industry experts and thought leaders from IGLTA's global membership to share lessons on how to cater to the LGBTQ+ market.
Describing itself as "straight-friendly," OUT in Colombia is offering vacations under three main getaway categories: "Fun & Sun," "Weekend Getaways" and "Nature & Adventure"—all specially priced at stimulus-package rates of $1,400, a press release noted. All trips are made to accommodate each traveler or travelers to maintain social distance and avoid extended interactions with those who are not traveling together. Also, OUT in Colombia will coordinate testing for COVID-19 for those returning to countries that require negative tests for entry. There are different links for women (www.outincolombia.com/stimulus-packages&; and men (https://www.outincolombia.com/stimuluspackages).
After dominating series two of RuPaul's Drag Race U.K.—they not only became a finalist and favorite to win, but also was named Miss Congeniality by their fellow queens—Bimini Bon Boulash has now been signed to London's Next Models, out.com noted. "Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought this possible," Boulash wrote to Twitter, posting a photo from inside the agency. "This opportunity is a huge crazy, mind-blowing moment for my gender-non comforting a*s and to top it all off they have signed me to the management's main booking list rather than special bookings."
Calling the new, faster-spreading variants of the coronavirus "an epidemic within the epidemic," French President Emmanuel Macron extended a lockdown to the entire country and closed schools through the end of April, NPR noted. In a televised address to the nation, Macron said a "more dangerous, contagious and deadly" virus surging in France left him no choice. Gatherings inside and outside are banned, and people will not be allowed to travel more than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from their homes.
The political, institutional and social meltdown in the Canadian Forces over misconduct allegations involving the country's most senior military commanders has piqued the interest of experts in allied nations—particularly legal scholars, CBC News reported. Retired Canadian Army Gen. Jonathan Vance and Royal Canadian Navy Admiral Art McDonald are facing allegations of sexual misconduct. (McDonald stepped down pending an investigation.)
Adil Ray announced that he'll be hosting Good Morning Britain throughout April, after Piers Morgan quit the ITV show last month, Metro reported. He tweeted, "Some news for you….I will be co hosting @gmb throughout the whole of April Mon to Weds, starting this Monday with @kategarraway and with @susannareid100 after the hols." Morgan quit Good Morning Britain after he received a record number of Ofcom complaints about his comments on Meghan Markle after her interview with Oprah Winfrey.
